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Increased abdominal muscle wall activity may be part of a visceromotor reflex (VMR) response to noxious stimulation of the bladder. However, information is sparse regarding the effects of cauda equina injuries on the VMR in experimental models. We studied the effects of a unilateral L6-S1 ventral root avulsion (VRA) injury and acute ventral root reimplantation (VRI) into the spinal cord on micturition reflexes and electromyographic activity of the abdominal wall in rats. Cystometrogram (CMG) and electromyography (EMG) of the abdominal external oblique muscle (EOM) were performed. All rats demonstrated EMG activity of the EOM associated with reflex bladder contractions. At 1 wk after VRA and VRI, the duration of the EOM EMG activity associated with reflex voiding was significantly prolonged compared with age-matched sham rats. However, at 3 wk postoperatively, the duration of the EOM responses remained increased in the VRA series but had normalized in the VRI group. The EOM EMG duration was normalized for both VRA and VRI groups at 8-12 wk postoperatively. CMG recordings show increased contraction duration at 1 and 3 wk postoperatively for the VRA series, whereas the contraction duration was only increased at 1 wk postoperatively for the VRI series. Our studies suggest that a unilateral lumbosacral VRA injury results in a prolonged VMR to bladder filling using a physiological saline solution. An acute root replantation decreased the VMR induced by VRA injury and provides earlier sensory recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sex-specific differences in activity of the lower urinary tract (LUT) responding to acid irritation in mice have been revealed. This study, using continuous infusion cystometry with acetic acid (AA; pH 3.0), was conducted to examine whether the transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) channels expressed in the mouse LUT are involved in the sex difference in functional responses of the bladder and urethra to irritation. No differences were found between effects of capsazepine (a TRPV1 blocker: 100 µM) and those of its vehicle on any of the cystometric changes by intravesical AA in either female or male mice. However, capsazepine eliminated the acid-induced sex differences in parameters associated with bladder contraction phase (i.e., maximal voiding pressure, closing peak pressure, 2nd-phase contraction, bladder contraction duration), whereas capsazepine did not affect those in parameters associated with bladder-filling period (i.e., intercontraction interval, actual collecting time). In males, capsazepine reduced the number of bladder contractions accompanying fluid dribbling at 2nd-phase contraction, which is indicative of the urethral response to irritation, whereas in females it increased the number. Together, these results suggest the possibilities that TRPV1 channels in the bladder and urethra are involved in the sex difference in the LUT response to acid irritation and that these participate, e.g., via "cross talk" between the bladder and urethra, in the fine-tuning of intravesical pressure (or bladder emptying) at the bladder contraction phase under irritated LUT conditions but not in sensing for bladder filling during the storage period, although the contribution of the mechanism may be small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]